How brazen gang scaled Louvre in broad daylight and stole artefacts worth millions in under 10 minutes
A gang of men riding off into the sunset with artefacts worth millions on their backs sounds very much like an Ocean's 13 plot, but it was the reality at one of the world's most famous art museums on Sunday.
In a robbery which has been dubbed one of the most brazen in history, four men dressed in high-vis jackets were able to break into the Louvre in Paris last weekend (19 October) before stealing some of the most valuable pieces on display.
Although they weren't able to get their hands on some of the most well-known pieces, with the Louvre housing the Mona Lisa painting and Venus de Milo sculpture, they were highly professional as they smashed into display cases and nicked some of Napoleon's most treasured jewellery.
Amid the chaos, which occurred shortly after opening time, the museum was closed due to 'exceptional' circumstances, with French President Emmanuel Macron promising that the artefacts would be returned and the robbers brought to justice.
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A promise to bring the perpetrators 'to justice'
He said: “The theft committed at the Louvre is an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is part of our history. We will recover the works and the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
“Everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this, under the leadership of the Paris prosecutor’s office."
However, the professionalism of the job, which took just minutes to complete, suggests that these thieves knew exactly what they were doing, and much like Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon, they will be hoping to get away with it.
But many have been asking exactly how the thieves were able to break in so easily, and now, their master plan has been revealed, with the lightning-quick heist clearly planned to a tee.
How did the gang break into the Louvre?
At 9.30am in France, just half an hour after the museum opened, the gang arrived on scooters before using a basket lift to get up to a second-floor window, where they used mini chainsaws to gain access.
Disguised as construction workers, nobody batted an eyelid until the men smashed into the glass in the Apollon Gallery, where the crown diamonds are displayed, and they were able to take off with a reported eight pieces, thought to be worth an 'incalculable' amount of money.
What did the gang steal?
They stole a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a matching set linked to 19th-century French queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense; an emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife; a reliquary brooch; Empress Eugénie’s diadem; and her large corsage-bow brooch.
The thieves weren't completely faultless in their plan though, as they did manage to reportedly break Empress Eugenie's crown when fleeing the scene, as they took off on their motorbikes as alarms began to sound.
All in all, it took just seven minutes for the heist to be over and done with, as France’s culture minister Rachida Dati dubbed them 'highly experienced' after they completed the robbery without violence.
It was certainly a lot smoother than the bloke who accidentally sat and shattered a 'Van Gogh' chair at Verona's art gallery.
Topics: Emmanuel Macron, Crime
James Moorhouse